Listen to farmers or face war, Tikait warns Govt

BKU National spokesperson Rakesh Tikait said that if the Central government does not listen to farmers then there will be a war in the country.

Rampur:National spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) Rakesh Tikait said that if the Central government does not listen to farmers then there will be a war in the country. He said that the farmers will play 'khela' against the Uttar Pradesh government just like a 'khela' was played in West Bengal. His statement comes during his visit to Uttar Pradesh's Rampur on Thursday where he received a grand welcome from hundreds of farmers at the BKU district office.

Addressing the media, Tikait said that BKU has given two months to the Central government to consider their demands failing to which it will see a war. He said that there is an intense hike in the prices of fuel but it does not affect the government. "Farmers are unable to meet their cost of cultivation. We are meeting people in distress and taking care of their well being. Farmers will not leave the protest site. The Centre should come to the negotiation table," he said.

Read:|Farmers' protest on July 22 outside Parliament will be peaceful, says Rakesh Tikait

Informing that the farmers have called a maha panchayat on September 5, Tikait said that if the government does not take any decision in the favour of the farmers then there will be a big war in the country. Talking about the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, he said that the farmers will play 'khela' against the Uttar Pradesh government just like a 'khela' was played in West Bengal.

On being asked about the protest of the farmers outside Parliament on July 22, the farmer leader said that nearly 200 people will sit outside the Parliament. "Farmers will go to the Parliament via DTC bus and they will also purchase bus tickets," he stated.

Read:|Farmers' agitation to remain apolitical; won't contest UP elections: Rakesh Tikait

Notably, farmers have been protesting on the different borders of the national capital since November 26 last year against the three newly enacted farm laws: Farmers' Produce Trade and Commerce (Promotion and Facilitation) Act, 2020; the Farmers Empowerment and Protection) Agreement on Price Assurance and farm Services Act 2020 and the Essential Commodities (Amendment) Act, 2020. Farmer leaders and the Centre have held several rounds of talks but the impasse remains.

Read:|Bharatiya Kisan Union to work against UP govt